The Best All-Around Tackle Boxes

If You Love Fishing, You'll Want These Badass Tackle Boxes For Your Gear

The AskMen Acquire team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life.

Before you go out and buy the biggest, most accessorized tackle box or bag you can get your mitts on, consider the type of fishing you’ll be doing and the consistency with which you’ll be pursuing it.

The Anatomy of a Tackle Box

Quality

Structurally, there are a few things to take into account when you have several tackle boxes in front of you that at first glance look identical, which was my first conundrum. Slowly, though, after opening and comparing each, I noticed a brass latch on one, where the others were flimsy plastic. Then I noticed that the plastic was slightly more rigid on the one with the brass latch; that sealed the deal on what had originally seemed like an arbitrary decision.

Size

Apart from quality, selecting a tackle box comes down to ergonomics, which are subjective: there’s no sense in buying a gargantuan storage locker when you’ll just be going down to the local horsepond a few times a year to catch a few panfish and bass. Likewise, if you’re going to be surf fishing every weekend for six months a year, you may want to get something substantial enough to not just store but manage the cluster of hooks, sinkers, rigs, lures, tools and bait you’ll want for a day out on the beach.

Accessories

A tackle box can be a simple latch box with a folding tray or two — which, frankly, is enough for most casual anglers — or it can be a backpack fitted with all the necessary and unnecessary accoutrements, from a lanyard for pliers to a beer can holder.

Environment

Once you’ve decided on size and storage specifics, you’ll need to consider where you’ll be fishing — most importantly: fresh or saltwater? If it’s going to spend any time at all around saltwater, immediately remove anything corrosive from the list, namely: zippers.

Are you going to take it along on several miles-long treks across the beach, or up a mountain along a riverbed? A backpack-style tackle bag, or at least one with a shoulder strap, is probably your go-to in these sorts of scenarios.

Being an avid fisherman, I keep a tackle box organized for just about every scenario so I can grab and go — there are enough things I have to organize when heading out the door for a fishing trip. (Do I have my boat keys? My fishing license? Is the Vhf radio charged? The GPS? The list goes on.) The last thing I need to be doing is fumbling through loose tackle to swap in and out what I need and what I don’t, only to forget the right size hooks or weights.

The Best Tackle Boxes

Plano Z Series Tackle Bag with Molded Bottom 3600

Why We Love It
Most tackle bags on the market include zippers, all of which inevitably fail once they’re met with salt, which is why just about every other tackle bag on the market was immediately off the table for this recommendation.

Plano’s new zipperless — and rust-free — Z Series is an all-around tackle bag for anyone taking a short hike up a trout stream or hopping in and out of boats, especially if they want to swap out one of the boxes to make room for a sandwich, a small dry bag (for things like cellphones, wallets, cameras, and rain jackets), or a raincoat.

Made from waterproof TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), these bags are by no means waterproof, but they’re fairly splashproof, and if they do get wet, they don’t grow moldy like cloth bags do.

This shoulder-strapped model (which also comes in a larger 3700) come with molded bottoms, which keep water from the ground or a wet boat deck from pooling in the bottom of your bag. The small feet built into the molded bottom also help keep the bag elevated from the deck, providing even more protection.

The top of Plano’s Z Series line is a backpack, which would be ideal for someone looking to get a little more involved. It can store a ton of spinning gear tackle, but it’s also just the right size for a pair of breathable waders, a fly rod case and a vest, making it perfect for a backwoods fly fishing expedition.

Several customer reviews, namely on BassProShops.com, express severe disappointment with the bag, but they seemed to be expecting features associated with a $300 bag. That said, Plano could probably make some improvements, particularly by enlarging the top flap to better prevent water from sneaking in through the top. But all in all, if you want a tackle bag for adventures that might involve salt, spray, a bit of sogginess, or all of the above, this is among the most reasonable options without stepping up to expensive compartmentalized dry bags.

Tip: If you really want to protect your tackle from getting wet (and rusty) swap out the stock tackle boxes for the respective-sized gasket-sealed boxes by Plano, or store your tackle box and other gear inside a larger dry bag (like this). This keeps everything completely dry, but still organized, as opposed to just tossing everything loosely into a dry bag, which doesn’t work out so well when you need to locate something in a pinch.

YakOutlaws calls the Z-Series a “breakthrough bag” that’s a “durable, splash-proof, worry-free, workhorse of a tackle toter that provides ample storage for up to four 3600- or 3700-size StowAway Utility Boxes, plus loads of other angling essentials...” that place it “lovingly at home on the deck of any drift boat, technical skiff, bass boat or center console.”

Plano 2-Tray Tackle Box with Dual Top Access

Why We Love It
Where the casual angler is concerned, a simple latch box with a couple of foldout trays should suffice. Plano’s classic two-tray tackle box is compact and easily stowed, which is why it’s the tackle box I keep on my boat. A couple dozen lures and just the necessary amount of terminal tackle fit in the top two trays, while larger and heavier items like leader material, pliers, weights, and a small first aid kit can go in the bottom. These boxes are also just the right size to keep one for each type of fishing, so you can grab and go without having to swap out gear depending on where you’re headed and what kind of fish you’re after.

One subtle but novel variation on this classic design is a pair of little hatch compartments built into the top with just enough room for line clippers, a few weights, hooks, lures, or other small odds and ends you use often and want to keep readily available without having to frantically splay out your tackle box every five minutes. They may not seem like much, but after three days of use, they’ve saved me from having to free my hands to open the tackle box, lift the trays, and root around for what I was after countless times, and I’ve found them to be remarkably handy.

If you want more storage or more compartments, consider alternatives to the 3-tray version of this classic design as it gets precariously (and potentially dangerously) top-heavy, and no one wants an overturned tackle box in the mud, on the beach, or on the deck of the boat. Instead, have a look at our Runner Up or our Editor’s Choice if you prefer a bag over a box.

Why Others Love It

Amazon reviewers gave it an aggregate of 4.6 out of 5 stars. “I bought this tackle box along with one of those multi-piece tackle kits,” writes one reviewer. “It works wonderful and came through in a pinch. The optional nameplate is a nice touch. There are two additional compartments at the top of the box, which can hold your favorite lures. I use this box all the time for catching trout/bass/catfish. Tons of room for jigs, powerbait, and an assortment of weights. Another nice feature about the box is it doubles as a stool for my 7 yr old niece. All in all, a great catch!!”

Outdoor Tricks rates it among the top four tackle boxes, alongside our Runner-Up, for storage, durability and water-resistance.

Plano Angled Tackle Box

Why We Love It
Plano’s Angled Tackle Box is the way to go if you don’t have a ton of gear but too much for the classic latch box and you prefer a box over a bag. This style of molded tackle box is great if it’s sedentary, primarily living aboard your boat. This is not the kind of tackle box you want to be lugging around too much unless it’s just between the car and the boat. The 15° angle at which the boxes within are stored keeps them from spilling and making a mess, especially aboard a boat in moderate seas. There are also several other compartments that make room for oddly shaped items like sunglasses, pliers and rigs.

Why Others Love It

Amazon reviewers gave it an aggregate of 4.4 out of 5 stars, especially for durability. One reviewer left it on the tailgate of their truck and “it fell off at about 30MPH. I recovered it from the street in pieces, and was pleased to find that everything that popped off was undamaged and easily popped right back on. The damage done to the body of the box was extremely minimal. I am very pleased with the ruggedness of this tackle system, and I think it is genius. It would also make a great emergency medi[c]al kit, it has great compartmentalization ability.”

Fishing Tips Depot rates it as their top pick, writing: “The Plano Angled Tackle System is an incredibly well designed tackle box that includes three Stow-Away utility boxes and a storage system that makes organization of your fishing items fast and simple, while also providing easy access to all the contents of your personal fishing tackle box. The practical design of this product allows you to fit everything you need for an extended stay on the water.”

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